RETRIEVERmagazine

Neon shines bright at Sandringham

Field Trialsfor retrievers

Dysplasia ingrowing pups

Backstage with Massimo Perla

year 4 - number 7 - RCI newsletter

The RCI does not necessarily agree with or support the ideas published in every article, which freely express the opinions of individual authors.

Martino Salvoeditor

Alessandra Franchiwriters

Patty Fellowswriters

Leonardo Langiulayout/graphics

l’editorialel’editoriale

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this issue,and to Tiziano Cagnoni for photo on the cover.

We can hardly believe this is our last issue…

This project began towards the end of 2008. Full of enthusiasm, we wanted to create a specialist magazine dedicated solely to retrievers. We spoke with Elena Casolari Videsott, President of Retrievers Club Italiano, and Laura Sgorbati Buosi, another board member. It was a special moment for the Club: we had just launched a new structure segregating the Club into individual breed sections and a working section, and we liked the idea of creating a publication that could be a gathering point for all of the breeds and that would speak to everyone: Labrador, Golden and Flat lovers, fanciers of the ring and of field. A magazine that would also report important news from beyond our borders, and that would be a pleasure to look at and read!

With much enthusiasm we discussed the guidelines in which to move. We were fortunate to receive a great deal of support from Elena and Laura, and later from Stefania Sammaruca Roche who succeeded Elena as President.

Thanks to skype we were able to hold interminable meetings without moving an inch from our desks: Milan, Borgosesia, Sassari and Vicenza connected, so that we could dream and discuss for hours how to construct the magazine. It had to be for “everyone”, independent, impartial, with something for every member - breeding, shows, work – we wanted readers to find at least one interesting article in each issue. It had to have pleasing and elegant graphics, and to talk to “retrieverists” of all breeds about the activities in which our dogs excel, without forgetting their origins as gundogs.

Now that the “product” is well established and has received favorable feedback – we’re proud to have been asked to allow some of our articles to be reprinted, even in other countries – we’re giving it back to the Club, so that new forces are free to improve it and make it grow. We believe strongly in the utility of a breed club dedicated to all retrievers, and thank everyone who is willing to dedicate their time and energy to the cause!

We salute all of you and thank all those that have helped us over the years in a thousand ways: with advice, translations, by sending photos and passing on interesting topics: GRAZIE DI CUORE!

Martino Salvo, Patty Fellows, Alessandra Franchi and Leonardo Langiu

in this issue:

•RCI Editorial – by the magazine staff

•BIS made in Italy: a look at pedigree dogs with Enci judge Paolo Dondina by Laura Sgorbati Buosi

•Neon shines bright at Sandringham: report of the 2010 Retriever Championship – by Phil Wagland

•Field Trials for retrievers: from the old to the new by Angelo Zoccali - introduced by Martino Salvo

•What can you get from KCAI? – by Anthea Lawrence

•Dysplasia in growing pups – by Marco Morlotti

•Backstage with Massimo Perla: he’s with the dogs – by Ilaria Martinelli

•A Legend in the field – by Susan Brown

•Dogs that smile – by Donatella de Lucia

•The Growl – by Cinzia Stefanini

•Notonlyretrievers – books, tv, gifts, news edited by Patty Fellows and Alessandra Franchi

What is the dream - rarely confessed - of any show judge? Surely to be called upon to judge Best in Show at Westminster and at Crufts, two of the most coveted and important expo’s in the world. Well, this year the double dream became reality for Italian judge Paolo Dondina, who made history in the annals of pedigree dogs, while bringing along – for the first time – both Italy and the FCI.

A breeder of Beagles since the 1970’s, Dondina has always favored England. From there – from Mr. Sutton’s Rossut kennels – he imported his first important dogs. With his friend Benelli, in 1975, he won Best in Show at Crufts presenting a splendid rough-coated Fox Terrier bitch, Ch. Brookwire Brandy ofLajven. Standing out among his most significant accomplishments there are: Top Hound in England, 2001; fifth place in Top Dog rankings, again in England in 2002; and the much coveted Cajelli Trophy in 2004 with Ch. Dialynne Gambit.Now, with Crufts and Westminster, Paolo Dondina has reached the vertex of an already prestigious career. What person would be better than him to help us take a look at the dog world today? For this reason we asked him for this interview.

You have said that England was your “school for dogs”. Before this important assignment at Crufts, what experiences did you have there and what did you learn?

“I consider England the true fatherland of purebred dogs, and of the most famous breeders and judges. It is, in particular, the nation where, in the 1800’s, standards were created for pointing, hunting and retrieving breeds, almost all of the terriers and many companion dogs, not to mention hounds. All of these breeds were selected over decades, until they reached levels of excellence

by Laura Sgorbati Buosi

unsurpassed in the world. Whoever has not yet attended this ‘school’ (and immediately afterwards those in America, Germany and France) in my judgment lacks an indispensible baggage of experience and, furthermore, of approach and sensibility to ‘judging’. But I could be wrong!England is the country where I judged my first BIS (1969) and also my last: at Crufts, precisely, this year. I had the honor – and the responsibility – to judge several breeds, along with Group placements and repeatedly BIS at many of the most important Championship Shows in England. Incidentally, next year I’ll judge Terrier Group placements at Crufts and in 2014 I might be back at Crufts for an important finale!

Over past decades I’ve visited many of the most important breeding kennels; I’ve also learned a great deal from past judges, true leaders of the movement that are unfortunately missing in most of the world today. I’ve had many positive experiences (but also some negative ones). It would take a book of memories to describe them all. Perhaps one day, when I’m close to a hundred years, and my strength begins to decline, I’ll sit down to write an autobiography of my long life with dogs.”

When you judge in the ring, do you always use the same approach?“I always try to have the same approach, but possible differences depend on a great many conditions: the state of the judge, that of the handler, how the dogs are groomed, the quality and number of dogs shown, the venue…”

You have said to be especially interested in the “type” of dog that represents historic standards. Can you elaborate on this idea?

“There is only one ‘type’, the one that is described in the original Standard, because Standards, if changed over the years, have only introduced minor changes (except those recently modified in England for several breeds to respect the wellbeing and functionality of pedigree dogs). It’s

clear, therefore, that I have never followed so-called ‘fashions’ and have always judged dogs in the ring by comparing them to the phenotype of their written Standard.For many breeds, especially those within the sporting group, I have sought to adequately and with discernment favor the ‘historic model’.”

How do you think we can avoid following the latest trend when interpreting breed Standards?

“I repeat: by applying breed Standards in a rigorous and correct way.”

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BIS MADE IN ITALYA look at pedigree dogs with Enci Judge Paolo Dondina

How much do you think a judge is responsible for influencing the evolution of dog breeds?

“This evolution also depends on the preparation and experience of breeders, not to mention the honesty (also intellectual) of judges.”

Regarding the pedigree dog scene, how would you compare Italy to America and England?

“To be sincere we’re well behind, even if I recognize that progress has been made in recent years. There are countries very close to us, especially looking towards the East, that are even worse off. My impression is that we need to get rid of a certain ‘provincialism’ and a certain presumption that Italians are the best at everything.Other countries most certainly see in Italy a kind of ‘creative gift for improvisation’ and we suffer from this perception also with dogs. But, beyond this paradox, I would like to recognize the more than good results of many serious breeders, as well as their well merited victories in Italy and abroad - in England, the US and Northern Europe.”

Following this milestone, what are your future plans?

“It has become a ‘must’ for me to select among the many invitations I receive to judge, and to continue to enjoy myself thanks to this hobby, until those close to me create an impediment and threaten to disqualify me. I’m only joking, but I’ll most certainly stop when I retain, to the best of my mental faculties, that it is the right moment to remove myself for the good of everyone.”

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Retrievers Club Italiano thanks the British Kennel Club and Westminster Kennel Club for the photos of the two events, and RCI member Franco Barberi for his help with the interview.

PAOLO DONDINA TALKS ABOUTAWARDING BIS AT WESTMINSTER

“The fame of the Westminster Show is exalted and increased by direct television coverage broadcast across the United States for at least three hours a day. Credible sources have told me that about nine million people followed Westminster 2011 from their homes on television every evening.Also the specialist press was very much present, along with direct radio coverage, and these journalists were all involved in the crowded press conference at the end of the event. As in the past, the BIS winner was considered – as I later learned from the press – a real star of the entertainment world, and she was invited to appear on numerous television programs.I chose this six-year-old Scottish Deerhound, GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, among seven finalists. She was bred and raised in a vast farm in Virginia by Cecilia and Scott Dove, famous breeders of Scottish Deerhounds, a dog originally used to hunt deer. ‘Hickory’ was presented by Angela Lloyd, a young professional handler and winner of the ‘Junior Handler Showmanship’ award in 1998, also held at Madison Square Garden.”

PAOLO DONDINA TALKSABOUT AWARDING BIS AT CRUFTS

“My final decision, after an attentive evaluation of each subject in the ring, both at stand and in movement, was to award BIS to the Flat Coated Retriever Sh Ch Vbos The Kentuckian, who has won many important competitions and was presented on the day in perfect condition.This mature nine-year-old dog won me over for his great type, solidity, physical condition, brilliant black coat, well-proportioned body and ideally balanced psychophysical state. The superb movement in the ring of the winning dog enthused not only the judge, but also the many fans present! His handler truly facilitated my decision with a perfect presentation both in stand and in movement.I gave reserve BIS to the only female present, the very beautiful eighteen-month-old Solestrad Peek a Boo, a Petit Griffon of Vandea that I believe will have a great future, gifted as she is with an extroverted and festive temperament, an ideal head with a soft expression and dark eyes, a perfectly harmonious body, and a rough and rustic coat. Movement was another great strongpoint of this promising young bitch who well merited being crowned ‘Miss Crufts’.”

was handling four dogs they could not always take their place in the line at the correct time, so the gallery had to wait to see last year’s champion F.T.Ch.Roberto Rannaldini of Bolton Abbey which was running as number 32. Several Yellow Labradors caught the eye with smart work, Jim Swindlehurst, Alan Schofield and Linda Partridge running one after the other. Several dogs had dry runs on birds not picked, which affected subsequent work so some suffered eyewipes or first dog failures. After lunch we walked another beet field. There was plenty of game as we approached the cover surrounding a pond. Two hares were shot close to the line on the left. The two right hand dogs failed. Moved across from the left Jenny Hankey’s bitch picked one, but the other eluded both Alan Rountree’s dog and Jenny’s which almost trod on the hare without scenting it. Four gone. A flush of pheasants from the pond hole produced several retrieves. One pheasant in the cover defeated three more dogs, which were eyewiped by F.T.Ch.Emmanygan Ramble a yellow dog owned by the Duchesss of Devonshire and handled by John Halsted. Continuing through the beet the first

round was completed and the second round of one retrieve commenced. The lower numbers did some good work, notably another eyewipe for John Halsted with litter brother to “Ramble” Emmanygan Rocket of Chatsworth owned by Lady Celina Carter. Jim Swindle-hurst’s Adoraden Quinn was another yellow dog to shine, as it took a line on a strong runner. Thus Yellow Labradors were showing strongly. Among the Black Labradors, Roger Ketley’s Brooke gained an eyewipe to maintain a challenge. However as scent deteriorated problems ensued. Four dogs failed to find a woodcock 10m from the line, first to go being the promising Ramble, back in for his second round. Although the judges also could not pick, Ramble had to be discarded as first dog down. So the day ended with a bag of 106, 27 hares, 2 woodcock and 77 pheasants. At this point 25 had been eliminated, 11 eyewiped by dogs, 6 eyewiped by the judges, 3 first dog failures, and 5 for misdemeanors.

On Wednesday we met close to Anmer village. The weather was still cold, with a few snow showers. 29 started the day, 26 Labradors and 3 Goldens. A few had to finish the 2nd round, of which 2 were quickly lost for misdemeanors. The judges decided on 2 retrieves in the third round, utilizing cross retrieves when appropriate to stretch the dogs. Two of the low numbers were eliminated for faults. Richard Ashdown’s Golden Mistybrook Bracken impressed working second at great distance on a strong runner, but was unsuccessful and had to be content with marked retrieves on dead birds. The six guns continued to shoot well, with only occasional runners, one of which was quickly picked by

Jim Swindlehurst with winners David Latham and Deefleet Neon

Nel rispetto degli altri concorrenti, crearsi il proprio spazio.

Kirsty Cousins and Mike Tallamy waiting in line

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by Phil Wagland

Despite the December freeze the 2010 IGL Retriever Championship was able to take place at Sandring-ham by gracious invitation of Her Majesty the Queen. A record 58 had qualified, with 54 runners on the first day, Tuesday 7th December. Experienced management of the ground and game supply by Headke-eper David Clark and the estate staff meant that we could still finish by 2pm on the Thursday with the top dogs having had 11 retrieves. As expected, Black Labradors predominated, but there were 14 Yellow Labradors and 4 Golden Retrievers. 7 former Championship winning handlers competed, including last year’s winner John Halsted, who was handling four dogs. With last year’s 1st and 2nd, plus 2 young dogs he would be a strong contender. However 15 newcomers would also have hopes of success.

Smooth organization by IGL Secretary Philip Wainwright and his helpers ensured the trial flowed smoothly, with generally good viewing for the many spectators, including contingents from several European countries. The experienced judges were Roger Tozer and Darren Hales on the right flank, with Tess Lawrence and Ian Openshaw on the left. Throughout they were to judge positively and give the handlers and dogs the chance

to show their marking, handling and gamefinding.The first day took place in two large fields of sugar beet at Ling House Farm. The weather was fine but very

cold. In the low temperatures snow filled the spaces between the rows of green-leaved beet. The low numbers were soon in action with retrieves on pheasants or hares. Things went smoothly until one pheasant was dropped in the woodland on the left. After four dogs had been tried the judges picked the bird by hand to eliminate all four. More good work followed including accurate marks by David Latham’s young yellow dog F.T.Ch.Delfleet Neon of Fendawood. After one dog failed to get to the fall of a runner newcomer Roger Ketley took his chance and succeeded with Highroost Brooke. Another runner was picked by Merryway Purdey of Holway. Handled by previous championship winner Robert Atkinson, this Golden bitch then picked a hare second dog down. F.T.Ch. Cherwood Ace of Spades (2nd last year) also looked smart, handled by the experienced John Halsted. As he J. Halsted with Rocket and Ian Openshaw

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Report of the 2010 Retriever Championship

NEON SHINES BRIGHTat Sandringham

Ace of Spades. David Latham, Alan Schofield, and Linda Partridge (all with Yellow Labradors) completed eyewipes. In all 7 dogs were out in the 3rd round, leaving 17 Labradors and 3 Goldens to tackle 2 more retrieves in the 4th. Sandra Halstead was running at 4 with F.T.Ch.Levenghyll Silvercloud of Drakeshead, placed in the last two years. Following son John with Rocket at 3 she produced consistently good work but was given no chance of an eyewipe. Despite patches of weed in the beet the standard of work was high. Jim Swindlehurst was pleased with an eyewipe by Quinn, and Roger Ketley’s Brooke maintained a challenge with another eyewipe. Alan Schofield’s Eastdale Harry took a strong runner a long way down the rows. Most impressive was the work of the Golden Retriever Gortons Red Ruby Rascal handled by Kirsty Cousins. After straight marks in earlier rounds she rose to the challenge, earning credit for an eywipe, followed by a strong runner collected in style. After lunch a nearby field produced the few birds needed to finish the 4th round. The bag for the second day was 85, 12 hares, 1 rabbit and 72 pheasants. 14 dogs had completed 7 retrieves, but Robert Atkinson’s Golden was discarded at this stage. This left 13 for the final day, 2 Goldens, 5

Black Labradors and 6 Yellow. Five handlers had previously won the Championship : Sandra Halstead (1979, Mike Tallamy (2002), David Latham(2003), Jim Swindlehurst (2005), and John Halsted (2009). John had 3 dogs to handle. Linda Partridge, Alan Schofield, and Richard Ashdown had competed previously, and Roger Ketley and Kirsty Cousins were running for the first time. The final day was held on the levels near the Wash. The dogs walked up tussock grass, bordered by a wire

fence, beyond which was a belt of scrubby woodland with cover to test the dogs. The line was extended to stretch the dogs with some guns amongst the trees. John Halsted’s Rocket had 2 retrieves across the fence into the trees. Richard Ashdown’s Bracken failed to handle when through the fence and was eyewiped by Dave Latham’s Neon. Sandra’s Silvercloud had retrieves to the left in the grass and on a bank. Ketley’s Brooke

had a woodcock forward and a partridge in thick cover beyond the fence. Swindle-hurst’s Quinn picked a bird in the wood and a hare in the grass. Beyond a cross fence the rough grass gave way to a maize plot and plough. The wood on the right produced birds for retrieves by Schofield’s Harry and Linda Partridge’s F.T.Ch.Braidenvale Spinnaker, which needed rather more handling. Birds flushed from the wood, with a wounded cock dropped in the wood and dead partridges on the plough. Kirsty Cousins’ Ruby Rascal was sent for the pheasant. Live game made work on a runner difficult and the Golden failed to find. Harry and Spinnaker were then tried,

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A. Schofield with Eastdale Harry

Ace of Spades (4th place) retrieves to J. Halsted

Judges T. Lawrence, D. Hales, R. Tozer and I. Openshaw

final bird was a runner far left, but a good effort by Schofield’s Harry was to end in the disappointment of a first dog failure. Five dogs had completed 10 retrieves, and four others had enough good work to be selected to sit the final drive. A long game plot was driven towards the six guns concealed alongside the entrenched Wolferton Creek. The leading five dogs were then sent in numerical order for retrieves across the creek to the far bank, followed by the other four that had sat the drive.

A long walk back had the gallery and helpers agreeing it had been a well organized, positively judged and closely contested championship all made possible by the marvellous supply of game and variety of ground. This view was echoed by President Richard Parker’s closing address as he thanked the sponsors and organizers and welcomed the Sandringham agent Marcus O’Lone to present the awards.Gathering in a barn we awaited the results. With so many Yellow Labradors in the run-offs would they manage to snatch victory from the Black Labradors? Would a newcomer win, or would the experienced old hands triumph? It proved to be a Yellow victory, and experience just held sway over new enthusiasm.

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R. Ketley sends Highroost Brook (2nd place) on his last retrieve

R. Ashdown takes retrieve from Mistibrook Bracken

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followed by Ace of Spades as J Halsted now had that dog in line. When the judges looked the bird had gone the last three were given retrieves for partridges on the plough, but the Golden, which was a leading contender, had to be discarded. The line turned back across a new stretch of tussock grass. Mike Tallamy’s black dog F.T.Ch.Brindlebay Butler had been consistent so far, but failed on a runner in front of the gallery on the left. Ace of Spades and Dick Sorley’s yellow bitch F.T.Ch.Anson Anne of Denbank were tried on the runner, and then on a wounded hare. Next Ace of Spades had success on a long mark on a distant partridge. This allowed John to bring Rannaldini into line. Sorley’s Anne picked a partridge, then Rannaldini a pheasant. A forward gun had dropped a partridge a long way off. Anne was tried but after the two dry runs earlier went off the whistle and was reluctant to return. John Halsted handled last year’s winner to the area, but could not find and it was picked by hand, thus ending a worthy defence of his title.

The top seven dogs were then brought in for one more retrieve. Another partridge out front was nominated for John Halsted and the young yellow dog Rocket. After a lengthy effort he was called up and Sandra finally got her chance for an eyewipe which was duly completed by Silvercloud. Latham’s Neon, Ketley’s Brooke, and Swindlehurst’s Quinn completed retrieves either in the grass or through a fence to cover under pine trees. The

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PhilWagland

A retired teacher, Phil Wagland has bred working Goldens for the past 35 years. He is an“A” panel Field Trial Judge and Secretary for two retriever clubs.

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by Angelo Zoccali

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from the oldto the new

Field Trials for retrievers in Italy have undergone a radical renewal thanks to the new regulations that came into effect this year. The project originated with the Committee of the Working Section of the RCI setting up a commission of technical experts selected from among the most highly qualified in the sector. This project had two main objectives. On the one hand consideration was given to handlers and dogs who wish to confront the first experience in the world of this type of competition offering, at last, an occasion for evaluating the natural qualities of and attitude towards retrieving, and to verify that the dog is typical of the breed. On the other hand we proposed a structure subdivided into various levels in order to offer situations suitable for more homogeneous groups of handlers and dogs up to the highest competitive level.

(Members of the RCI Commission: Chiara Berzacolo, Cinzia Masetti Fedi Sgorbati, Beppe Masia e Angelo Zoccali.)

Principal innovations and differences between the old and the new regulations

Compared to those of the past the new regulations offer many more opportunities both for participants and for those who organize and evaluate the dogs.

The subdivision of the trials into five levels, based on qualifications obtained, allows for having dogs of similar levels of training and experience in the line. This permits the judge to plan and evaluate the trial more effectively.

The official recognition by ENCI (the Italian Kennel Club) of the role of a person with overall responsibi-lity for the trial (introduced in the new regulations) guarantees professional running of the competition and organization. The person fulfilling this role can be nominated by the organizing committee from a list of experts and he/she will be responsible for all aspects of the trial regarding terrain, supply of game, organizing

the guns, the disposition of the line and will be the essential link between the guns and the judges. His role is to ensure that the trial is technically appropriate for the various classes.

The Attitudinal Hunting Test was introduced to provide the opportunity for beginners with little or no preparation to be evaluated, allowing breeders and newcomers to

*RCI thanks author Phil Wagland and Shooting Times magazine for the permission to reprint this article.

QUOTESTess Lawrence (Judge and previous winner) “It has been an honour to judge an excellent Championship on this prestigious ground. All four of us have got on so well as a team and offer our thanks to David Clark and his staff for their hard work.”

Roger Ketley (First time competitor)“I have exceeded my expectations and hopes in completing 11 retrieves over three superb days.”

Axel Schaefer (German visitor)“Wonderful organization to produce so much game so that so many dogs could be thoroughly tested.”

Steve Jolly (Former winner)“It brings the memories of 1998 back and it is nice to see some old faces as well as new handlers enjoying trials.”

FULL RESULTS

1st David Latham’s Yellow Labrador dog FT Ch Delfleet Neon of Fendawood(F.T.Ch.Mediterian Blue x Delfleet Dawn Flush DoB 02-06-08)

2nd Roger Ketley’s Black Labrador Highroost Brooke 3rd Sandra Halstead’s Black Labrador bitch FT Ch Levenghyl Silvercloud of Drakeshead 4th Mrs Cherry Finlan’s Black Labrador dog FT Ch Cherwood Ace of Spades (handler John Halsted) DIPLOMA OF MERITS

Lady Celina Carter’s Yellow Labrador dog Emmanygan Rocket of Chatsworth (handler John Halsted) Jim Swindlehurst’s Yellow Labrador dog Adoraden Quinn Mr & Mrs Schofield’s Yellow Labrador dog Eastdale Harry (handler Alan Schofield)

Linda Partridge’s Yellow Labrador dog FT Ch Braidenvale Spinnaker

Kirsty Cousins’s Golden Retriever bitch Gortons Red Ruby Rascal

NAMES OF GUNS ON THE THIRD DAY

Marcus O’Lone, Alex George, Tom Goodridge, Simon Hickling, Ian McKenzie, Peter Ord.

*Photos without captions kindly lent by Tiziano Cagnoni.

FIELD TRIALSfor retriever

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participate in a field trial. This was previously impossible due to the higher level of preparation required. There is no classification in this class but each dog is evaluated individually and given a qualification.Higher competitive levels were introduced up to championship level, the final field trial reserved for the best dogs in order to identify and award the top dog of the year.Bitches now have an abbreviated path to becoming a champion to allow for breeding which necessitates long absences from the competitive world.

The title of Field Trial Winner was introduced as an intermediate award for dogs that, having won a trial, are continuing with training and participation in trials

A glance at the past

Field Trials prior to 2011. Previous to the new regulations coming into effect field trials were divided into two types: ‘French’ style field trials and ‘English’ style field trials.

‘French’ style field trials: This type of trial was for dogs not yet made up to champion. The use of the lead was at the choice of the handler. To be made up to

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champion dogs had to gain three Attitudinal Certificates of the Italian Championship (CAC).

‘English’ style field trials: This was a field trial at a higher level with dogs off lead. Normally at this level an International Attitudinal Certificate (CACIT) could be awarded. Dogs gaining a certificate at this level were not expected to return to competing at the lower level.

The new field trials

Field trials after January 2011: national field trials are divided into five levels.

1) Attitudinal Hunting Test2) Novice field trial3) Open field trial4) Champions field trial5) Championship

1) Attitudinal Hunting Test. This is the first level of the hunting tests with the aims of encouraging dogs at the beginning of their hunting test experience even if they have not yet reached a sufficiently complete level of training, of identifying the best dogs and, above all, of evaluating the natural qualities of the dog in his first hunting test with the objective of obtaining a qualification under the present regulations.Hence each dog will be evaluated separately, given a qualification and not entered in a classification.Attitudinal Hunting Tests are for dogs over 18 months of age that have not yet obtained a classification of Excellent in any field trial held in Italy. The regulations provide for making some exceptions with respect to that foreseen in other higher level trials.Partial use of cold game is possible in an Attitudinal Hunting Test.If the dog completes the test successfully he will be given a qualification of Good, Very Good or Excellent. The qualification is valid for entry in Working Class at shows and also for obtaining a stud number.

2) Novice Field Trials. This is the second level of field trial where dogs compete for a CAC, are given a qualification and are entered in the classification. Dogs working on or off lead makes no difference to the result. Dogs must be steady also on lead, which must not be held under tension.All dogs are given the chance of a second retrieve unless an eliminatory error was committed on the first retrieve.To assist the dog if a retrieve is at a long distance, the Judge can decide to take the dog and handler nearer to the area of the presumed fall of the bird. The first retrieve should demonstrate the natural abilities of the dog so the handler and dog should be put in such a position to be able to carry out the retrieve without excessive handling.Dogs of any breed of retriever that has not yet obtained a CAC in a field trial in Italy can compete in this class.

3)Open Field Trial. Open field trials are organized for dogs with a higher level of preparation who are not yet made up to champion. The open field trial must bring out the natural qualities of the dog after adequate training that must never make up for the lack of natural abilities.Dogs of any breed of retriever that have not yet obtained three CAC’s in a field trial in Italy can compete in this class.

The long-awaited new field trial regulations for retrievers became operative on January 1st 2011. Important innovations were studied to better adhere to the multiple functions of these trials. Of course the main aim is to select the best retrievers for breeding for the continual improvement of the breeds but we must not forget that this sport is practised by many amateurs who just want to put their team - dog and handler - to the test in a formal competition. The extremes of many aspects of the trials, even if technically correct, risked keeping newcomers away as the level of proficiency required of a dog was very high just to be able to reach the end of the trial or to get a good result. Owners of show line dogs who wished to get a qualification in a trial to complete an international championship faced great problems, finding themselves competing against dogs with a very high level of preparation. In fact, we must not forget that our sport demands two fundamental requirements: the natural abilities of each dog and a high degree of formal training that channels these abilities and adds competency that has nothing to do with the DNA of a retriever. A greater number of classes in competition, under the new regulations, has sought to rectify this aspect. But another problem raised by many was the lack of clear rules as I’ll describe below in my brief introduction to Angelo Zoccoli’s excellent report.

For fun, about fifteen years ago I ventured into retriever Working Tests with my first dog. I came from a background of obedience training. I asked my trainer to teach me how to confront the exercises involved in the basic level of Working Test (then called PAR ‘D’), and the answer was “get them to send you the regulations with a descriptions of the exercises”. And so I did. We studied the regulations and I confronted my first test quite well. I cannot say the same for when I wanted to try to attempt my first field trial. Internet did not exist then. I realised that one competed using an ‘oral’ tradition of rules that originated in England. I went to ENCI (the Italian Kennel Club) and they gave me the regulations that contained about 4-5 articles and nowhere did it say anything about Eye-wipe, First dog down, spitting the game, hunting with the game in the mouth, eliminating errors and serious errors…all things that the experts knew very well but were not to be found written anywhere. Just think that until a few months ago no formal regulations existed for the so-called ‘French’ style field trials. The new regulations have, therefore, brought great benefit to this sector; the most urgent. After all, where’s the sense in playing football if you don’t know where to kick the ball?

Martino Salvo

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4) Champions Field Trial. This class is organized dogs with a higher level of preparation that should justify the title of Champion.All dogs made up to Field Trial Champion or have obtained three CAC’s in an Italian field trial must participate in the class. Made up champions in other countries (recognized by FCI) and ratified British champions can also compete.5)Championship Trial. The aim of the Championship is to identify the top dog of the year. Participating dogs can compete only on merit obtained in Open and Champion field trials held during the proceeding season (from after the last Championship up to the present field trial). Dogs must have been placed in the top three positions in the classification and awarded the qualification of Excellent in an Open, Champion or International field trial organized in Italy.

Champions and Titles

Italian Field Trial Champions - the Board of ENCI (the Italian Kennel Club) can confer the title on retrievers that have obtained the following qualifications in Italy:

•N° 3 CAC (dogs) only one of which can be gained in Novice Class.•N° 2 CAC (bitches) only one of which can be gained in Novice Class.•the test in water (as in art. 16).•the qualification of Very Good in a Club show or ‘Speciale’.

Field Trial Winner - the Italian Retrievers Club (RCI) can confer this title on dogs that have obtained the following qualifications in Italy:

•N° 1 CAC in a field trial.•N° 1 minimum qualification of GOOD in an Open, Champion or International field trial held in Italy.•the qualification of Very Good in a Club Show or ‘Speciale’.•the test in water (as in art. 16).

FAQs

In which class do I enrol my dog?1. If the dog has not gained a qualification in a field trial held in Italy: Attitudinal Hunting Test, Novice or Open classes.2. If my dog has already got a qualification of Excellent in a field trial in Italy?Novice or Open classes.3. If my dog has already got a CAC in a field trial in Italy?Open class.4. If my dog is already a field trial champion?Champion class (Dogs that are champions abroad can enter this class provided their title has been ratified)5. If a CACIT is to be awarded it is an International field trial and hence comes under international regulations. Any dog can be entered except in cases where there is a closed number of participants based on awards or title previously obtained. This must be communicated by the organizing committee.

working world

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by Anthea Lawrence KCAI (WGA)

In 2010 I was honoured to be invited to put on a one-day training course for members of the Italian Retrievers Club and further honoured to be invited back in 2011 to instruct on another course. In 2011 I came with a friend and fellow instructor, Mary Ward. Mary and I thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone on the training day and thank you all for your kindness, attention, friendship and hospitality.

Both Mary and I are qualified instructors with the U.K. Kennel Club and we both have our accreditation at advanced grade in working gundogs KCAI (WGA). The initials KCAI stands for Kennel Club Accreditation for Instructors and the initials in brackets denotes the specialist area/s in which the person is qualified – in our case Working Gundogs with the A denoting this is at Advanced grade (90% or above in our specialist area).

At the end of this year’s event, I was asked to write an article for the newsletter about the accreditation scheme and this, therefore, is a brief account of what it means.

It was in 1999 that the UK Kennel Club first started investigating the possibility of a qualification for all those involved in instructing other people about dog training in its many, many different forms from pet companion dogs to those involved in top level competitions.

Anyone can say they are a dog training instructor and no-one is required, by law, to prove that they are either competent or qualified to teach on a voluntary basis or to set up, what is for some, a very lucrative business. This scheme set about providing an opportunity to acquire a universal qualification whereby anyone claiming to be an instructor had proved: by completing extensive study, by being assessed on a practical level, by demonstrating a high standard of knowledge of their subject, by providing evidence of their own

handling ability and having at least 5 years experience of instructing. After several years of discussion and piloting ideas which were worked on by founder members of the scheme, it was finally available in 2004 for those who wished to embark on it formally. At this stage I, together with some other founder members, was invited to embark on the final stages and apply for assessment.

My assessment took place in the autumn of 2004 and I was awarded my accreditation certificate at a ceremony held at ‘Discover Dogs’ in London in November 2005. I was the first person to achieve this qualification and

WHAT CAN YOU GET FROM KCAI?Becoming a qualified dog instructor with the British Kennel Club

the scheme now has 64 qualified instructors plus many hundreds of others around the world who are members of the scheme and studying for the qualification.

Information about the scheme can be found on the Kennel club website or by email: accreditation.scheme@thekennelclub.org.uk.

Before anyone can apply for final assessment they must have 5 years instructing experience and, in addition, have worked through all aspects concerning theory, practical, knowledge, handling ability in their chosen field of instruction and knowledge of study concerning numerous other dog disciplines in addition to one’s own field of interest. Work and study is done at one’s own pace and, using a series of charts, the scoring system is used to assess one’s own level. Whilst studying, a portfolio has to be kept and evidence provided to justify all scores claimed and these are checked, questioned and agreed to at assessment time. In that way no-one is able to score themselves more highly than warranted but also assessors will give a higher score if an applicant has under-valued their ability and knowledge. Evidence is in the form of award cards, letters regarding judging, certificates from any courses etc.

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Mary Ward receives a diploma from the President of the Kennel Club.

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Briefly the studying is broken down into Modules. There are 10 theoretical A modules consisting of 10 sections in each, 10 practical C modules with 10 sections in each and another set of B modules concerning competitive and non-competitive events. In working gundogs these B Modules will include Field Trials; Gundog working tests; Show Gundog working Certificate; Working

Gundog Certificate and Working Gundogs and one can add any other activity or competition to this list such as for example Competitive obedience or Agility etc. – anything in which one has knowledge about or experience and interest. There is also a B Module entitled ‘Responsible Dog Ownership’ and everyone must complete this particular module no matter what their specialist area. In the B Modules one has to show evidence of knowing the rules and regulations; handling ability in that activity; judging and assessing and how one has contributed to the activity in other ways for example being on a committee, throwing dummies, stewarding or helping to develop the activity.

In 2010 an additional qualification was added to the KCAI scheme and now, if KCAI is achieved, the City & Guilds NPTC (National Proficiency Test Council) certificate is also awarded.The scheme does not seek to qualify someone concerning the methods they use or how training and instruction is given, instead it expects the candidate to look at what they do, how they do it, be able to justify why they do the things they do and the way they do them and consider how they arrived at where they are. All related experience is relevant, is worth points and even experience which could be said to have nothing to do with dogs may well be worthy of some additional points if it has a bearing on being an instructor. e.g. Care of animals in general, teaching experience,

managing a business, legal qualifications, financial experience.

The KCAI qualification is unique. It brings together three areas of expertise and although someone qualified in one of these areas such as having a degree in animal welfare or psychology, would be able to use this to gain points, the degree in itself would not be sufficient to gain the KCAI qualification. This is because although the theory aspects would score highly the practical aspects of running training sessions will not have been covered in a degree course and handling a dog in a variety of activities would not have been covered either.If all this sounds like a lot of work, well that is true! It is however, work which most people find very rewarding as, after all, it is work relating to something in which one has a great interest either in terms of a career or as a hobby. It is also a very personal type of studying

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not only in terms of studying alone at one’s own pace but in a journey of self-discovery. Many people are surprised at how much they already know when reading and working through the different modules and from my own experience of the scheme the enjoyment was in discovering how I knew something and researching the theory behind what I already knew, thinking about who had influenced me and remembering what I had rejected in favour of what I now do. I can thoroughly recommend the scheme to anyone wishing to become a dog training instructor or in fact wanting to become a better instructor who then has a qualification too! There are numerous mentors ready and willing to help anyone who needs some help along the way and we are all available to share our knowledge and give advice concerning any part of the scheme. A large part of mentoring is conducted by email but we also have regional meetings where people can meet up and discuss aspects of study or obtain help in filling in forms. We meet hundreds of people at Crufts annually too and are able to encourage those who are uncertain about joining and help those who need a bit of help to keep going.

There are people all over the world studying under the KCAI scheme at present. I’m afraid that the paperwork is all in English but, that apart, I hope there may be some instructors from Italy who join and we can welcome them into this growing band of dog training instructors. We believe that we should be proud of what we do and how we do it and our qualification, although recognising a personal achievement, is also additional proof to the general public that we will be professional in our standards and attitude and will strive to help them in whatever dog related activity or discipline people require help. We all love dogs, it is what brought us into instructing in the first place but one also has to be able to communicate with the whole range of personalities encountered in humans too! Although instructing is never an easy job it has great rewards and if in some

small way we can help a person and dog to achieve something or reduce a perceived problem in a relationship then that person and that dog will have a better life together in the future. The dog will usually have a richer life by being involved in an activity and it will therefore be given opportunities to use its brain and share the time with the person they love best in the world.

Anthea Lawrence with a training group.

Anthea Lawrence

has owned, worked and competed with Golden Retrievers for the past 25 years, and breeds Goldens today

under the affix Courtridge. Since 1989 she has held training courses with gundogs in Worcestershire, England, where during the winter she does picking up with her dogs. Mrs. Lawrence collaborated with the Kennel Club to formulate the accredited instructor scheme (“KCAI”) and in 2005 became its first qualified instructor. She also helped prepare the rules for the “Show Gundog Working Certificate” used to qualify retrievers as full champions in the UK. She is the author of many successful books on gundog training including ‘Training the Working Retriever’ (Quiller); ‘Taking Control. The How & Why of Basic Gundog Training;’ (Trafford); ‘Further Control. The How & Why of Advanced Gundog Training’ (Trafford); ‘Respect & Leadership in Dog Training’ (Trafford).

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health and wellness

by Marco Morlotti

It was with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I accepted the invitation from the Labrador section to make a presentation on this “hot” topic, very close to me and my work. The idea came to me during an exchange of ideas at ringside and from my perception that many concepts should be clarified and elaborated in the most relaxed and collaborative atmosphere possible. Before beginning to summarize in the limited space available the many points that emerged during the presentation, I would like to thank the Labrador section for giving me this opportunity, and the participants of the conference, who from the beginning were able to enliven the meeting and bring it to a more practical level, encompassing both clinical experience and real situations. Finally, I would like to thank, also in the name of the Retrievers Club Italiano, the pharmaceutical companies Candioli and Innovet for their sponsorship of the event.

The objective of the conference was to clarify a series of aspects that are often misinterpreted, creating a wall of diffidence between breeders and veterinarians that often leaves new puppy owners caught in the middle. The principle points of the presentation were: managing a puppy; the importance of not underestima-ting lameness in a young animal; an elaboration on the causes and development of dysplasia; the importance of early diagnosis; and, above all, how to help breeders and owners understand medical proposals, so that they can take an active role in choices for their own animal.

Managing a puppy

In addition to well-known advice about how to properly manage a puppy I added some personal reflections, derived from increasingly substantiated evidence of the hereditary component of osteoarticular dysplasia. The idea that owners be actively involved in and responsible for the welfare of their pets should not lead to blaming them for any pathology manifested. What an owner can

do is control environmental factors (with regular physical activity, a balanced diet, the use of condroprotectors). It goes without saying that a healthy pup will unlikely develop the pathologies of dysplasia. However, bad management of a puppy that is predisposed to these pathologies can be a detrimental factor that potentially aggravates an already genetically predetermined clinical outlook. A healthy puppy can and should, from

health and wellness

the beginning, live a life of normal relations with its fellow creatures.

Lameness in puppies

A typical characteristic of a puppy that limps is an ambiguous gait, often masked by the presence of bilateral lameness, all of which contributes to a tendency to underestimate the condition and to impute it to a presumed trauma, erroneously placing it in that cauldron known as problems related to ‘growing up’.My personal approach is to consider each case of lameness in a growing puppy as a symptom of a serious pathology, until proven wrong, by immediately performing a radiographic study, to preclude any therapy unsupported by precise diagnosis. It is also important to convince owners to accept and consent with serenity the idea of sedating their dog – only X-rays performed under sedation are well executed and reliable!

Hip dysplasia, anything new?

All recent studies on this topic lead in the same direction, that is a greater conviction that lax ligaments constitute the most important risk factor behind the development of dysplasia. Lax ligaments is a condition that is not in itself pathological but a predisposition to the development of hip dysplasia, in that it allows a greater passive mobility of the head of the femoral, allowing the bone to move further away from the acetabular cavity in which it is housed.

This reinforces the theory that this parameter is far more hereditary than was believed in the past. Emerging studies also show that this parameter is breed related

and that certain breeds, among which retrievers (in particular Labradors), tolerate in terms of biomechanics levels of laxity much superior to the norm. All of this translates into a new and reliable arm against the disease, the index of distraction (ID), which can be obtained from X-rays taken under sedation.

This parameter assumes a new and greater importance for prognostic, decisional and selective purposes. Some numbers: a few studies report a rate of heredity of ID close to 80% - values under 0.4 predict a normal development of joints, while in contrast, values above 0.7 lead in a very high percentage of cases to the manifestation of dysplasia.

In Labradors the pathological limit is considered around 0.6. This is a fundamental parameter and it would be beneficial for every breeder to know the ID value of each of his breeding bitches and of stud dogs he intends to use.

Early diagnosis

A central idea and objective of this presentation is to make breeders aware of the enormous utility of early X-rays, and to show their limits but also their reliability, purpose and real use and, above all, to explain how to recognize a well-executed early radiographic study as a prognostic tool to make the correct therapeutic choice. During the meeting there arose a certain confusion over the ideal age at which to carry out this diagnostic screening on puppies; this study is reliable from the age of three-and-a-half to four months for hips and from four to four-and-a-half months for elbows. Any exam carried out later will, on one hand, be more refined, but on the other hand, risk losing precious time – as we will see later on in the section discussing therapeutic options. Early clinical radiographs should gather a minimum of data and should therefore comprise all of the positions foreseen (Standard, Distraction, DAR, Frog-leg for hips and neutral lateral and dorsal-ventral for elbows), as well as values measured during the visit under sedation

DYSPLASIAIN GROWING PUPS

health and wellness

(Ortolani and Barlow signs, angles of reduction and of subluxation), especially when the need to propose surgical solutions emerges.

Another concept, not always obvious, is that the study needs to be executed in deep sedation; ignoring this aspect signifies obtaining false data that is useless for prognosis and interpretation. It is also important that the referral report all of the useful data collected for the evaluation of another expert, because one should always consent to a second opinion, especially in dubious cases or when therapeutic surgery is proposed. Here is a list of the minimum data that should be presented in a referral: Ortolani and Barlow signs, angles of subluxation and reduction (AS, AR), position of the center of the femoral head, signs of acetabolar filling, index of distraction (ID), angle of the inclination of the dorsal acetabolar rim (DAR). A clinical radiographic study that is incomplete or undertaken without necessary relaxation will increase the risk of interpretive error and may require new x-rays to be performed as well as the dog to be sedated a second time.

Why perform an early radiographic study? The answers to this question are multiple: dysplasia, even when serious, is often asymptomatic to the point of irreversibly compromising joints, and an early diagnosis offers more therapeutic options as well as a better prognosis, is less invasive and leads to a more rapid recovery.

For elbow dysplasia, an early diagnosis is also based on a critical evaluation of every small radiographic sign; in particular, the incongruent growth between the radius and ulna and subtroclear sclerosis constitute the first signs of anomalous joint stress and assume great importance, even in the absence of other signs of articular pain or of primary pathologies such as fragmented coronoid process (FCP) and osteochon-dritis dissecans of the medial humeral condyle (OCD).

To simplify this report, I have not cited the ununited anconeal process (UAP) as it is not typical of retrievers and other pathologies not usually grouped within elbow dysplasia, actually quite rare.

Therapeutic options

As this is an extremely complex and technical topic, especially for non-experts, I will only discuss a few clear concepts that may help guide owners through the numerous proposals for therapy. A first important point is that, below certain parameters, a conservative approach is absolutely justified, as all dogs subjected to X-ray studies are not necessarily destined for surgery. A second point is that therapeutic options are well defined – nothing is invented – and only a complete clinical radiographic study can indicate one type of surgery over another. There are “windows” of therapy that are correlated to the age and parameters measured; to not respect these would subject a patient to an operation that does not resolve the problem, or worse, is too invasive. For the same reason, a surgeon should choose which surgery to perform on this basis and not because he is more familiar with one procedure over another. A third point is that, on an ethical level, any dog submitted to surgery intended to modify the evolution of dyplasia should be removed from the breeding pool: principal examples are juvenile pubic symphysiodesis (JPS) for hip dysplasia and dynamic ulnar ostectomy (DUO) for elbow dyplasia.With this in mind let’s clarify the therapeutic options and their positive and negative aspects.

Total hip replacement

For subjects with compromised articulation, only one operation can be undertaken at a time, very expensive, potential complications but an optimal functional recovery, requires extensive training on the part of the surgeon, there exist different types of surgery but not all adequately surveyed. Only surgeons with extensive experience should be trusted.

Elbow dysplasia:Dynamic ulnar ostectomy (DUO)

Performed ideally within first five months, can be performed bilaterally, rapid recovery, contained costs, if serious articular pathologies exist (FCP, OCP) or arthritic processes are in place, this leads to a reserved prognosis.The patient of this surgery must not undergo official screening X-rays and must be excluded from the breeding pool.

Arthroscopy

Executed by itself or in combination with DUO, in the case of primary pathologies (FCP, OCD) or evident arthrosis with a reserved prognosis.

Total elbow replacement/corrective osteotomy

Still being experimented.

Conservative multimodal therapies and condroprotection:

This combined group of therapies assumes enormous utility and importance during the early stage of prevention for growing puppies, both in cases where surgery cannot completely resolve the condition

and in those where arthritic degeneration excludes the candidate from surgery. In particular, condroprotectors play an important role because they reduce the daily requirement for anti-inflammatory medicines as well as the collateral effects of these medicines. They also slow down the progression of arthrosis and muscular hypertrophy by interrupting the vicious circle that characterizes chronic articular pathologies. Condropro-tectors are substantially innocuous and as such can be utilized at any age.

Before concluding this presentation I would like to say something that I believe in very strongly: often I am asked the question “where should I go and where should

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health and wellness

Hip dysplasia:Pubic symphysiodesis

Performed up to five months of age, not very invasive, entails a quick recovery, low cost, does not always resolve the problem, is destined to failure if not indicated for a particular case. Any dog having this surgery must not undergo official screening for dysplasia and must be excluded from the breeding pool.

Triple/double pelvic osteotomy

Performed from five to eight months of age, invasive, relatively expensive, entails a quick recovery for very young patients, is possible to perform bilaterally in one session, if not indicated does not halt the progression of arthritis.

Acetabular arthroplasty

For patients over eight months that are no longer candidates for TPO, use debatable, does not halt the progression of arthritis, potential complications, practically abandoned.

Femoral head ostectomy

For subjects with compromised joints that do not respond to medical therapy or subjects that cannot be given a complete hip replacement, low cost, will not guarantee a full return to functional joints.

that is already collaborating with their breeder. I believe that collaboration and long-term relationships between veterinarians and breeders will lead to the collection and exchange of more data, and will allow us to have more knowledge in less time about these conditions. It is up to both parties to reduce and avoid those errors in interpretation that undermine reciprocal trust in each other’s work.

Marco Morlotti

graduated in 1999 from the University of Milan, and joined the Order of Veterinarians in Bergamo in March 2001. From 2001 to 2008 he worked in practices specialized in medicine and emergency surgery for small animals.In June 2001 he opened his own practice specialized in orthopedics and trauma.He has been a member of SCIVAC since 2000, SIOVET since 2003, ESVOT since 2004 and SINVET since 2005.In 2001 he participated in the FSA course entitled “The Control of Hip and Elbow Dysplasia in Dogs” and in 2002 was accredited by the FSA to execute official screening X-rays for the diagnosis of hip and elbow dysplasia. Since 2002 he has participated in the following courses: SCIVAC course on reductive orthopedic surgery and techniques; Master AO-Vet on reconstructive bone surgery for small animals; SCIVAC course on surgery and

traumatology of distal extremities; FSA course on the official diagnosis of luxating patella and HP/ED updates; AO-Vet Masters course on advanced corrective osteotomies. Since 2001 he has regularly participated in seminars and conferences concerning orthopedics and traumatology given by specialized organizations.From 2003 to 2008 he attended Dr. Aldo Vezzoni’s clinic in Cremona as a “Visitor” during sessions of orthopedic and trauma surgery. Since 2002 he has consulted in orthopedics and traumatology, as well as general surgery and screening X-rays for official early diagnosis of hip and elbow dysplasia for many colleagues and breeders in the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia.In 1997 he acquired his first Labrador. He is a member of RCI since 2000 and shares his passion for the sea and underwater diving with his love for this exceptional breed.

I send others to do X-rays?” There is no easy answer but I would recommend to breeders to create a long term relationship with an orthopedic veterinarian whom they trust, and new puppy owners to go to the professional

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dogs on film & tv

He’s with the dogsby Ilaria Martinelli

What does Massimo Perla - the famous dog instructor for television spots and cinema - have in common with retrievers? Everyone remembers Shonik, the fantastic Border Collie of Infostrada, and Ettore, the Dogue di Bordeaux who appeared on tv next to stars like Sophia Loren and Naomi Campbell. But probably very few of us remember that the trainer of these dogs used to prepare retrievers for RCI trials.We asked one of the original members of our Club – Ilaria Martinelli – to go back in time with Massimo so that he would tell us the fascinating story of his life with his best friends…

Ciao Massimo, and thank you for coming back to tell us a bit about your life…have you always loved dogs?“Yes, I’ve always loved animals since I was a child. But in a city like Rome it wasn’t easy to meet many animals, so my attention became focused on dogs, and I began to know more about them, to observe and study them.

In your recently published book “Io sto con i cani”, co-written with Susanna Mancinotti, you describe your first job with dogs at Villa Borghese in Rome. What exactly did you do there?At Villa Borghese, an historic park in the center of Rome, we created the Valley of Dogs or “Valletta”, where we brought dogs after collecting them in a minibus from their homes across Rome. The dogs stayed outdoors with us, in the open air, for a good part of the day and then we took them back home. We were “evolved” dog sitters: evolved in the sense that in addition to allowing the dogs to run free and socialize, we tried out with them our first training techniques. We taught them basic commands and some tricks. We were preparing ourselves to become real dog trainers”.

Was there a dog in this period that you remember the most, and what did he or she teach you?“My very first own dog arrived during this period, Cochise, a German Shepherd that I had wanted with all of my heart, notwithstanding the aversion of my father,

BACKSTAGE WITH MASSIMO PERLA

dogs on film & tv

who reckoned that dogs shouldn’t live in apartments. Since Cochise made me leave the home where I lived with my parents, I would say that the first thing this dog taught me was survive on my own! I also learned from Cochise that the principles of consistency and coherence are necessary to communicate effectively with dogs”.

When did you open your first center for dog training?“Towards the end of the 1980’s I opened along with some friends the center La Valletta, in remembrance of La Valletta at Villa Borghese. I dedicated myself to basic education and training as well as to canine sports like utility and defense. Cochise was very well trained and also good at sports, and this gave me a great deal of satisfaction”.

How would you describe your approach to training?“Today the best and most effective techniques are based on positive reinforcement and the use of a clicker. Dogs learn more quickly if we use these techniques.Very different is a dog’s need for a leader. Leadership and training are not synonymous, as many people mistakenly think. Training refers to what the dog knows how to do: to respond to different commands, to carry out exercises or activities. Leadership concerns instead the way we explain to the dog his role, his status, the right way to confront new situations, limits to his behavior. When an owner doesn’t have leadership, conflicts arise with the dog because, as a social and hierarchical animal, he is compelled to substitute the role of leader he cannot find. A good leader is consistent, coherent, controls access to limited resources (food, toys, outings, etc.), and uses rewards (even a caress is a reward) to reinforce the right behavior.A leader is not violent or aggressive, to the contrary he is decisive and assertive”.

How did you end up working on television and movie sets?“Aside from a few small parts, the first real occasion arose with Tarkovskij for the film “Nostalghia”. I worked with Zoi, a German Shepherd chosen primarily for his contrasting colors, very black and very light. Zoi was very good, so much so that the director decided to increase his number of appearances from 4 to 21, putting him into many new scenes”.

Which breeds have you worked with on tv and in film?“Once the dogs most used were German Shepherds, a bit because in Italy there weren’t as many breeds as there are today, a bit because it was considered “the dog”. As the years passed by, requests for different dogs increased. Today I work with any breed and often with mixed breeds, which are like prototypes – each one is an original that cannot be reproduced or copied”.

How is training dogs for the cinema different? Have you had to invent any special tricks to create special effects?“No, the training is the same, you teach the same games and tricks, but in front of the camera these can be used to portray in a thousand different things. For example, if I train a dog to give me his paw, on a film set I can use this trick to make him knock on a door, call a person, or even (as in certain spots) to turn off a remote control”!

Which criteria do you use to choose a dog that acts in a film or a television spot? Is it important that the dog is well balanced or has the right psychology?It depends a bit on the film’s plot or the

story behind the spot, and on the characteristics needed for the dog - courage, trustworthiness, sweetness, ag-gressiveness – based on these requisites one breed is chosen over another. In any case, it’s important to have dogs suited to this kind of work. They should have a great amount of trust in man and be able to interact with strangers in different kinds of situations.It’s difficult to create spontaneity in a dog that sees an actor for the first time. Sometimes it happens that an actor doesn’t have any feeling with the dog or that he is even afraid of it, in fact this has happened a few times.

Was it a challenge to work with many dogs at once in films like “C’era un castello con 40 cani”?“Think that on that set I had to work with 60 dogs at the same time. It was a difficult and complex job that kept me occupied for more than a year. One of the most

Aside from the activities at your center, are you involved in any volunteer work with dogs for a good cause?“With my friend Sirio Paccino, president of ConFido Association, I embarked years ago on the project ConFido, a dog education course held at a female detention center, the women’s prison Rebibbia in

Rome. Here we taught detainees to re-socialize and educate dogs taken from shelters to prepare them for adoption by families that made the request. The most promising were also trained for assistance work with the disabled and, in this case, the dogs were Golden Retrievers”.

You can find out more about Massimo Perla and his training center Indiana Kayowa atwww.massimoperla.org/.

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complex scenes was on the beach. I had to place all 60 dogs at sit on the beach so that they could be filmed, all perfectly still. It wasn’t easy and there was even an unexpected movement caused by signals the crew gave me to tell me I was in the wrong place. The dogs all got up together and some started to play, others to run and others to swim the water. It wasn’t easy, I tell you”.

At what point in your life were you involved with retrievers? Do you have any memories you can share with us?“In the late 1980’s I became an official trainer for the Retrievers Club Italiano and prepared dogs for field trials. I have innumerable good memories because retrievers remain in your heart, for instance Sherlock, a Labrador bred by Emanuela Ruggiero. He was a great champion and I remember him with affection and nostalgia. I stopped working with retrievers in official trials because I don’t agree with using live animals; dummies are ok but, as far as I’m concerned, I prefer to see ducks fly away in the sky”.

In his recently published book Massimo Perla tells stories about his life with dogs, gives advice for good behavior and reveals secrets about training dogs for movies and tv.

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retriever breeds

by Susan Brown - photos courtesy of Bonhams

On February 16, Bonhams New York sold at auction a superb Maud Earl painting of two black Labrador Retrievers in the field. The male, who holds a cock pheasant in his mouth, is Peter of Faskally, one of the most celebrated field champions of the early 20th century; his partner, Dungavel Jet, was also extremely adept in the field and produced two litters of Peter’s considerable progeny.

Maud Earl achieved acclaim in an era when women took up painting as a genteel pastime to keep the occupied until they got married. Being taken seriously as an artist in a male-dominated profession was not easy, but Earl’s exceptional talent made her one of the most respected and sought-after animal painters of her day. She was born in London and raised in an artistic household. Her father, George Earl, and uncle, Thomas Earl, were noted animal and sporting artists. Although Maud attended the Royal Female School of Art, her father was her most influential teacher, grounding her precocious drawing skills with studies of anatomy and skeletal structure.Earl was already an established artist by the age of 21 when she showed her first painting at the Royal Academy in 1884. Her love of dogs, combined with her thorough mastery of canine anatomy, soon Peter of Fascally at a 1911 trial

retriever breeds

led to a specialty in purebred dog portraits. Her extraordinary ability to capture individual canine personalities took her paintings beyond skillful renderings of a dog’s physical appearance and won her the admiration of Queen Victoria and the Prince and Princess of Wales, whose royal patronage assured her success.

This beautiful painting of Peter of Faskally and Dungavel Jet is undoubtedly one of Maud Earl’s commissioned portraits and exhibits the naturalism, fluid brushstrokes, and rich color that marked her work during this period.

Tough nose, tender mouthIn 1912, the dated of the painting, the Labrador Retriever was becoming the dominant breed in British field trials. Originating in Newfoundland as the St. John’s dog, Labs were prized for their retrieving ability. They were imported into England and Scotland in the early 19th century, a time when the landed gentry had taken up the organized shooting of game birds, creating a demand for sporting dogs. Throughout the 19th century, the 5th and 6th dukes of Buccleuch and the 2nd and 3rd earls of Malmesbury had breeding programs that played major roles in developing and establishing the Labrador breed.

Peter of Faskally, bred by George Watson, was born on February 2, 1908 and acquired by Captain Archibald Edward Butter, a gentleman and retired military officer who began training gundogs when he returned to the Faskally family estate in Scotland. Butter was an innovative trainer, and Peter was the first retriever to be handled in field trials by hand and whistle signals. Butter made his debut as a Labrador

handler with Peter in a field trial in 1909, and they were a formidable team. In 1910, they won two open stakes, and in 1911, they won the International Gundog League’s Retriever Championship, the first trial in which all the entries were Labradors. In 1911, a reporter for the Kennel Club wrote: “Peter to my mind combines to perfection all the qualities that are claimed for Labradors, great speed, sagacity, excellent nose, and absolutely tender mouth, and while splendidly endowed with initiative, he is not above taking a hint from his master.”

Dungavel Jet, the second dog in the painting, was acquired by Archibald Butter and his wife, Helen, in 1911. Jet was bred by Nina, Duchess of Hamilton, an early animal-welfare advocate and the first “lady owner” to enter a field trial in 1907. Jet was also a highly regarded field-trial competitor.

It is interesting to note that in contemporary accounts Jet is said to belong to Mrs. Butter and Peter to Mr. Butter.

Mrs. Butter and Dungavel Jetabove: FTCh Peter of Fascally

A LEGEND IN THE FIELDA highlight from this year’s Bonhams dog art auction recalls a brilliant gundog who set

the stage for the rise of the Labrador Retriever

of the breed in England. Purists believed that the ‘true’ Labrador was a black dog. Both other colors, however, existed in the breed, and there is evidence that chocolate existed in the kennels of the aristocrats who championed the breed in its crucial early years. In the 1930s, chocolate became prominent in two highly regarded kennels, Cookridge and Tibshelf,” says Woods. “Cookridge eventually produced the first chocolate English champion, Cookridge Tango [1961]. Since the Labrador was only recognized as a distinctive breed by the Kennel Club in 1903, it was a comparatively short time to the first chocolate champion. With the advent of Tango, color barriers were quick to fall, and chocolates became more and more popular. Many early chocolates did lack breed type, but today the color is absolutely equal in quality to blacks and yellows.”

In less than a century, the Labrador Retriever went from a new breed to one of the most popular dogs in the world. Maud Earl has captured two fine dogs from the breed’s early history in a work of art that enchants us still.

*Susan Brown is former director of The AKC Museum of the Dog.

retriever breeds

Peter of Faskally has been called “the father of all chocolate Labradors,” but was he? “Peter of Faskally most certainly figures prominently in the bloodline of modern day chocolate Labradors,” says Dr. Michael Woods, a native of Newfoundland who has been involved with Labrador Retrievers for over 40 years as a breeder, exhibitor, and judge. “Peter’s intrinsic importance to the breed is indisputable, not only for his own accomplishments but for his role as the grandsire of one of the breed’s seminal dogs, Dual Champion Banchory Bolo [1915], the breed’s first Show and Field Champion. But it would be incorrect to perceive him as ‘the father of all chocolate Labradors.’ That designation must go to Buccleuch Avon [1885], Peter’s great, great, great grandsire, to whom Peter goes back seven times in a six-genera-tion pedigree.

“In his very extensive research on the chocolate Labrador, Jack Vanderwyk (LabradorNet) establishes eight routes that lead to the modern chocolate Labrador. Avon is the source of all these routes, although all lines do run through Peter and Bolo,” observes Woods, who has judged the breed worldwide, has published on the breed, and has presented seminars on the Labrador for breeders and judges. “Some might argue that Avon’s sire, Malmesbury Tramp, is the source of all lines, but we do know that Avon produced chocolate, while we cannot be certain if Avon received his chocolate genes from Tramp or from his dam.

“The chocolate color (called liver or brown in other breeds) is inherent in the Labrador, as it is in closely related breeds like the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Flat-Coated Retriever, and Newfoundland dog. Like yellow, chocolate was not valued in the early years

The RCI thanks The American Kennel Club for its permission to reprint this article, which originally appeared in the March 2011 issue of AKC Gazette. For more information about subscriptions to the Gazette visitwww.akc.or/pubs/index.cfm.

A highlight from this year’s Bonhams dog art auction recalls a brilliant gundog who set the stage for the rise of the Labrador Retriever.

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by Donatella de Lucia

When I got back home yesterday afternoon I was in a terrible mood. It’s been a period when everything that happens is a high or low, more often low than high, I’m always in a rush and the people I meet are more and more stressed. As a result I am as well. I think this is normal. On the other hand life changes and makes you change, problems seem to mount in direct proportion to your added years and sometimes even the slightest obstacle can seem an insurmountable barrier.

With the gate closed behind me, I got out of the car and looked at the sky. An intense blue, dark and limpid, the sun starting to set but still warm, and the silence of the countryside. I felt so out of place… I was a grey spot in that great, small immensity of colors and scents of spring. And here they were running to meet me, a blond crew fast as the wind. They always hear me when I arrive. They recognize the sound of my car, even before I pass the gate their barks have a different tone… “Here you are, you’ve finally come back! But do you realize how much we’ve missed you? But now that you’re here, everything’s much better.” I know this is what they think, I recognize it from the intense expressions they have when they give me a thousand kisses, while they go and look for all of the free sticks in the world, and do a triumphal march to celebrate my homecoming. But yesterday I wasn’t in a mood for playing. I looked at them, pet them and sat on my favorite wall looking towards the North, towards Florence, and I began to think, or maybe not to, about nothing, I didn’t want to and I didn’t want anything.I eclipsed for I don’t know how long, not very long, perhaps five or ten minutes. I turned around and they were all sitting behind me, silent and immobile. I had a doubt that they were also holding their breaths. With an alert expression, slightly vexed, liquid eyes and nostrils

seeking my scent to interpret my state of mood. They surprised me, I looked at them first with an absent air, then, putting my feet back on the earth, I felt a bit stunned.A few seconds that seemed an eternity, my eyes looking into theirs in the stillness, a strange communication, made of looks and unreal facial gestures. Then my first dog Camilla timidly lifted her front leg as if to give me her paw. “Come on, make peace with the world, we’re here!”

people and retrievers

DOGS THAT SMILE

She made me smile, a smile that came from my soul. And looking at them I continued to smile…all of them with their front paws raised. And they all began to smile also, wagging their tails they slightly lifted their whiskers and showed their teeth, crinkling their noses with a sweet and charming air. I made a slight movement towards them and before I knew it they were all over me in an explosion of joy and incredible love.

I got the keys to my car from my bag nearby, opened the trunk, put down the back seat, and in a moment they were all in ready to go to the nearby lake, to freedom, play and splashing leaps into the water. My gloomy thoughts stayed behind on that wall towards the North, and they dissolved into themselves.

While I, with Them, my life’s pack, of yesterday, today and for ever, with smiles and without words, lived yet another time the essence of love and the taste of

people and retrievers

another one of those afternoons that I almost risked losing. Thank you Camilla, Sharon, Honey, Kira, Tulipan, my true and loving companions, and thanks to all of the others that I have with me that - even if they aren’t Goldens - know how to interpret each moment with the loyalty and dignity that only animals possess.

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Vocal sounds are a basic component of communication between dogs. We always place great emphasis on a dog’s body postures and their relative meanings but often we forget to listen. What is our dog “saying”? I remember a conference I went to several years ago mostly attended by canine experts at which the speaker, instead of making the usual slide presentation with photo after photo, made us listen to different recordings of dog vocalizations and asked us to deduce the emotional state of the recorded animal… Well, many of us got it wrong! The growl is one of the vocalizations that most identifies a dog. It’s true that some other animal species growl – think about felines – but if we ask someone to list the typical sounds a dog makes he will probably start with a bark and a growl. I believe that many people are no longer used to living in a familiar context with animals from a young age; this very often leads them to misinterpret dogs, especially when they growl.

Let’s start off with a definition: growling first appears during the transition period (from the 14th to the 20th day of life; the beginning of relations with others) and remains until adulthood; it is emitted during the appetitive phase (the phase composed of behaviors in response to the presence of a stimulus; specifically, the

appetitive phase entails anticipation and the approach to a stimulus) of aggressive behavior due to irritation, hierarchy, territorialism or during play. [“Medicina comportamentale del cane e del gatto”; Raimondo Colangelli; Poletti publishing]

We can therefore easily understand that growling is a behavior found in the ethogram (a grammar of behavior, the most complete and exhaustive catalogue possible of natural behaviors for a given species. It is compiled following attentive observation and is designed to furnish an inventory of easily understood quantitative data that can be compared to the results of preceding and successive studies) of the dog. From the above-cited definition we can also infer that the reasons underlying this vocalization are multiple. It is important for me to understand in the first place if the behavior described by an owner is a case of play or aggressive behavior. In the first instance it is important to reassure the owner that it is a normal behavior and that many very well socialized and nonaggressive dogs

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by Cinzia Stefanini

THE GROWL

the behavior. If you scold a frightened dog that is growling out of fear, he could become even more frightened to the point of biting you. If you excessively scold a dog that is growling because he is insecure, he could lose trust in you. It’s worth considering some of the effects tied to our adverse reactions to growling: by severely punishing a dog (also a puppy) that growls without understanding the underlying reasons, and without removing or resolving them through re-education, we may teach the dog not to growl; but, without having removed the real cause of the behavior, the dog could be induced to bite without warning in the future.The more growling and aggression obtain positive results for a dog, the more likely

he will react quickly and the appetitive phase will be suppressed. For example, if a dog growls to defend a toy, his owner takes it away and the dog bites him, the next time (we are talking about inexpert owners) as soon as the dog puts a toy in his mouth his owner might feel frightened remembering the bite and behave in an insecure manner, in this way speeding up the aggressive response of his dog. Over time whenever the dog puts a toy in his mouth he’ll react in an aggressive manner as soon as he sees his owner, sometimes without growling first.For this reason aggression problems should never be underestimated even if they involve a puppy or if they are manifested in a good-natured retriever! It is necessary to ask for the help of an expert who understands the motives underlying the behavior, which are often more than one (fear and insecurity; anxiety and possessi-veness…), and who will put into action an educational program aimed at resolving them.

“growl” while playing, especially if they are by nature a bit competitive. This case, furthermore, can be easily discerned by an expert in the field: the dog’s posture is mellow, the rules of play are clear to both the dog and his owner, his tail is moving, his eyes are relaxed and the game can easily be interrupted while maintaining a relaxed atmosphere. My lovely Flatcoated Luna, one of the most docile animals I’ve ever known, made everyone smile whenever she growled and pretended to compete with me for a toy. The point was that she was “pretending”… A bit like when we play Risk, no one seriously thinks he is invading a continent, he just “pretends to”. I know that these subtleties are easily comprehensible to anyone who works with dogs but I often have to reassure new owners, perhaps without any experience of dogs, that their little Labrador just a few months old does not intend to tear them apart but only to play fight while pretending to be, in that moment, a big Canadian wolf. Very different instead is the case in which a dog does NOT growl for fun. Here is a succinct list of different types of these growls:

Quiet, low: A dog growling this way is asking for space, while threatening. Generally the other party that hears this will move (often thereby reinforcing the behavior).With a bark, low: Indicates that the dog is ready to attack.With a bark, from middle to high tones: A dog using this tonality is insecure and worried, but ready to react. Wavering: Goes from middle-low to middle-high tones with added a “semi-bark” in the acute phase of growling. This vocalization is produced when a dog is terrorized and would like to escape but if he is not able to is also ready to attack. It is important in these cases to stop what you’re doing and cease threatening the dog (even in the case of a puppy) and to ask for the help of a behavior expert. It is important to try to understand the underlying emotions and to uncover the reasons for

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It is absolutely normal, instead, to hear an adult use this vocalization as a signal to a puppy to stop what he is doing. Very often this situation leaves owners a bit off-guard when they are convinced, having purchased a Labrador or a Golden, that they have a “good” dog! It is important in these cases to reassure them that growling and showing teeth does not necessarily signify that their dog is aggressive, and that these situations are not only normal but highly desirable. Puppies that exaggerate during play or use their teeth in an inappropriate manner are “scolded” and stopped by their mother when she growls and shows her teeth. These stop signals are fundamental to teaching the pup to inhibit his bite, to cope with frustration and be calm; never take away the mother in these situations – these first lessons are the basis for creating well-balanced and adapted dogs in the future. Halting signals will be displayed by other adult dogs your puppy comes into contact with in his first months of life: puppies that are exuberant and a bit badly behaved are able to receive

these lessons without getting hurt or injured or becoming frightened, and will learn how to relate to others better as an adult. In the future he’ll know how to be more respectful, approach others more calmly and not be excessively excited in the presence of other dogs. Puppies that are deprived early of these slightly stormy relations, that signal important social limits, will tend to act in an infantile manner even as adults. This is a problem in that other dogs will no longer limit their response to a growl but will be ready to bite in a decisive manner, as infantile behavior exhibited by an adult is considered unacceptable.

At times other owners are curt with me and my Lab Scarlett when their hyperactive puppy - that bites too much, hangs with all of its forces from her ears or continually insists on playing – is halted by a deep growl. We both know, however, that in this instance the puppy, far from being harmed or frightened, has received an important lesson on etiquette that may very well help him avoid getting a bad bite as an adult.

*In loving memory of Ringhio, a special friend

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becomes involved in unraveling the mystery behind its accident. With the help of this extraordinary dog she finds her way back to herself and to relationships with other people.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, Harper 2008 (only in English)

In this inspirational novel Enzo, a mixed breed pet, tells the story of his human family and how he keeps them together. In his intense relationship with his owner Denny, a racecar driver, he learns all about racing and

develops a personal philosophy to help everyone navigate through the ups and downs of family life.

Dominance in Dogs: Fact or Fiction? by Barry Eaton, Dogwise 20 (only in English)

Author Barry Eaton challenges theories about dominance in wolves and dogs that underpin most dog training methods. He elucidates to the reader new research on wolves in the wild and the effect of selective breeding on dog behavior to dispel myths about rigid hierarchies in wolf packs. He also gives new guidelines on how to raise and train dogs in a positive manner, without reverting continually to the notion that “my dog’s doing this because he wants to dominate me”.

Third season of “Missione Cuccioli”

The new season of the popular tv program “Missione Cuccioli” started at the end of May on DeaKids (Sky, channel 601), broadcast on Mondays at 9pm. This “reality dog” show teaches kids hoping to get a puppy how to respect and care for their new friend, and the

Teach Yourself Train Your Dog 2010 by Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK, Hodder & Stoughton (English only)

Written by an organization of professional trainers, a guide that explains reward-based, motivational training for all types of dogs and give essential advice to ensure that your dog is an obedient and well-behaved member of the family. Also gives tips for dealing with puppies and problem dogs, advice about equipment, sample training exercises and progress tests.

Il cane secondo me by Danilo Mainardi, Cairo Editore 2010 (only in Italian)

In his latest book Danilo Mainardi, an Italian ethologist, talks about dog’s mind and how he communicates with us. The book traces the history of the species from its wolf origins to more than 400 domestic breeds today and in doing so interweaves fact with personal stories and reflections, often surprising and unorthodox. Also interesting are his reflections about mixed breeds and the refined interactionsbetween dogs and cats.

Lost & Found by Jacqueline Sheehan, Avon 2007 (English only)

A novel about Rocky Pelligrino, a psychologist who tries to escape her past and her grief over her husband’s unexpected death by moving to an island in Maine and taking on a new identity as Animal Control Warden. In her new line of work she ends up saving an injured black Lab and

to readto read Championship and has judged it twice. The dvd’s are available separately or as a set atwww.paulfrenchvideo.com.

Pedi Paws nail trimmer

With this novel nail trimmer you can set up a professional beauty parlor for dogs! It is a battery operated, hand held device containing a precision filing wheel to gently file your pet’s nails in just a few seconds. For details visit www.pedipawsnailtrimmer.com/.

O’Tom tick remover

This easy to use tick remover is an alternative to traditional tweezers. Each package contains two hooked removers, one for small ticks and other for bigger ones, that allow you to remove a whole tick with one easy movement and without leaving the tick’s head

embedded in the dog’s skin. Can be ordered from www.zooplus.it/.

Yowza! Pet groomer

Use this hand-held vacuum attachment to brush your dog and at the same time vacuum away dead hair and dander from his undercoat. You’ll prevent fur from getting all over you and your house, even when your dog is shedding. It has a

universal adapter that fits most vacuum cleaners and works on all kinds of coats and dogs. Check out the video www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT6OEhgx7ec.

difference between owning a toy and an animal. In each episode trainer Simone Dalla Valle takes an aspiring owner to the local dog shelter to adopt a

puppy, then follows step by step the pup’s first days in his new home, giving advice about feeding, potty training, playing and socializing with other dogs. At the end of the transmission he gives advice about matching breeds with different kinds of people. The new season promises lots of surprises.

Presa di Punto on Caccia e Pesca

From April 1st every week on the channel Caccia e Pesca (Sky tv 235, 236) a new program called “Presa di punto” presents selected dog competitions under the Italian Kennel Club (Enci) and gives a summary of the results of the week’s most important trials. Each competition is accompanied by a detailed commentary and explanation by an Enci judge.

Shadowbrae Retriever Training Series with George Ridley, Paul French Video

In this new box set of four dvd’s (305 minutes), British trainer and field trial judge George Ridley presents

a comprehensive and detailed, step-by-step training program for young retrievers. We watch the progress of two Labradors from their early days as pups until they are fully trained. Especially interesting are the exercises that go wrong: Mr. Ridley helps us understand why and shows what to do to put things right and prevent future problems from developing, all in a very calm

and fair manner. Mr. Ridley has behind him many years of experience in shooting, picking up and field trials, having qualified 13 times for the IGL Retriever

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to seeto see

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Brain teasers from Sweden

Since 1990 dog trainer Nina Ottosson has designed a range of interactive toys in wood and plastic guaranteed to stimulate your dog’s mind and improve

his relationship with you, great for rainy days when he can’t get as much activity and stimulation outdoors. In each toy Fido has to figure out how to find a hidden food treat in different ways – by lifting blocks, turning discs, pushing blocks, putting blocks inside

something, etc. In Dogsmart, treats are hidden in hollow white bone-shaped blocks, which your dog has to push away with its nose or paw. In DogTornado there are four layers of rotating discs, each containing compartments to hide treats, and your dog has to rotate them in different directions with his nose or paw. Available from www.zooplus.it/.

New training dummies

Working Dog Company won an award in 2010 from Shooting Times for the innovative design of these new training dummies. They come in “pheasant” and “partridge” sizes. Their soft oval shape mimics the feel of real birds to help your dog learn how to hold onto game and to encourage a soft mouth. The dummies are buoyant in water, easy to throw and bounce on the ground leaving a scent trail. Aside from traditional green the dummies come in red, purple and black & natural for marking. Buy from www.workingdogcompany.co.uk/.

Standards aren’t what they used to be…

Richard Edwards, a noted British show judge, author and expert on the history of the Labrador Retriever, recently pointed out an interesting omission in today’s breed standard. The original description, drawn up by breed luminaries like Lorna, Countess of Howe

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(Banchory) and Lord Knutsford (Munden), appeared in 1917 in The Labrador Retriever Club’s Rules and Regulations booklet. The first section, entitled General Appearance, went like this:“The general appearance of the Labrador should be that of a strongly built, short coupled, very active dog. Compared with the Wavy or Flatcoated Retriever he should be wider in the head, wider through the chest and ribs, wider and stronger over the loins and hindquarters. The coat should be close, short, dense and free from feather.”In today’s standard the section has been shortened to “General Appearance: Strongly built, short coupled, very active, broad in skull, broad and deep through chest and ribs, broad and strong over the loins and hindquarters.” No comparison is made with the Flatcoated to give a specific context and sense of proportion to the description, leaving room for a much wider interpretation of what a Labrador is supposed to look like. As Richards comments, the original standard specified “WHEN COMPARED TO A FLATCOATED, not when compared to a Rottweiler or a Newfoundland or a Sherman Tank. If people saw the context of the original standard they would realize not to exaggerate”!

Stem-cell therapy for dogs

Veterinarians in the United States and other countries have begun to use stem-cell therapy to treat dogs that have joint injuries or suffer from osteoarthritis, often caused by hereditary conditions like hip and elbow dysplasia. This cutting-edge technology can even be performed alongside surgery to repair joints, tendons and ligaments. Still in the early stages of development, the therapy requires more study and empirical data, but so far results have proved very encouraging.The procedure was pioneered about 10 years ago with horses at the Royal Veterinary College in England by extracting stem cells from a horse’s own bone marrow, growing them in a laboratory and then injecting them into the horse’s injured limb. In

the United States a similar orthopedic therapy was developed by Vet-Stem, Inc. using regenerative stem cells extracted from a horse’s fat tissue, and the procedure was eventually extended to dogs.While most cells in a dog’s or horse’s body have a specialized function, adult “mesenchymal” stem cells that are found in developed tissues appear to be able to renew themselves and assimilate the role of specialized cell types, including fat, cartilage, bone, tendon and ligament and bone. While the mechanism is not yet fully understood, it is believed the stem cells migrate to dying or injured cells and secrete growth factors that improve organ function.Prime candidates for the therapy are dogs that have joint or cartilage disease before severe arthritis develops, or those undergoing orthopedic surgery to help stimulate cartilage and connective tissue growth and speed recovery. Dogs already suffering from osteoarthritis can also benefit, but may require more than one procedure.For more information visit Vet-Stem’s website atwww.vet-stem.com/.Source: “Exploring Stem-Cell Therapy” by Tracy Libby, AKC Gazette March 2011

Smartphones for smart dogs

“App” is short for “application”, a computer software designed to help you perform a variety of specific tasks. Many are already embedded in your device – pc, ipod, ipad, smartphone…) but a staggering

number are now available free or for a modest price to be downloaded onto your smartphone. A growing number of apps have now plugged into the booming pet industry to help anxious owners keep their pets healthy and happy. Here are a few of the top picks on the market:

AmicoCane (0.79 euro on iTunes)An Italian app now sold also in English that offers lots of practical advice and information for dog lovers.

Includes training tips - choosing and bringing up a puppy, basic education, phobias and stress - and descriptions of more than 200 breeds, accompanied by photos and video from YouTube. With the aid of Google Maps you can search for local vets, boarding kennels and breeders.

Pet FirstAid:For your Dog, Cat, Puppy or Kitten (2.99 euro on iTunes)A great app for those moments when your vet has switched off his cell phone and you’re miles away from the nearest clinic. It’s loaded with descriptions of common ailments and emergency situations and accompanied by videos and step-by-step illustrations. You can find out about bleeding, poisoning, CPR and bite & stings and much more.

Train Your Dog Kits (free on iTunes)This fun interactive app helps you train your dog in obedience and discourage bad behavior. Tools include a clicker for positive reinforcement training, a bell to teach pups when to go to potty and a whistle for gundog training commands. Each tool comes in different frequencies to suit your dog.

Paw Cad: Pet Tracker for Your Dog and Cat(free on iTunes)Store your pet’s vital information – vaccination records, microchip number, medications – so that you can access it and send it to your vet or dog sitter wherever you are.

Dogbook (free on iTunes)The social network for owners that don’t want their pets to miss out on all the fun on Facebook. You can connect with doggy “friends”, make status updates and keep a doggy diary.

Stuff it!

The list of things you can stuff inside a Kong toy to keep your dog happy and occupied – and satisfy his natural foraging instincts – is virtually endless. The basic idea is to put layers of dog treats and/or human foods inside the toy, packing the stuffing tighter as the dog becomes more expert and securing it all inside with a biscuit or treat wedged in the bigger hole. For instance, at the bottom layer you can place the “tantalizer” or yummiest treat (ie, chopped dried liver or cheese) topped by dog kibble, followed by canned dog food and all topped off with a doggy biscuit. For health conscious owners, pieces of fruit

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and vegetables like bananas, apples, tomatoes and carrots can be stuffed in along with yogurt and

linseed or wheat germ. Our dogs go crazy over baby food! For hot summer months, Kongsicles are a favorite – put a dab of peanut butter or Rio Mare tuna patè in the small end to plug the cavity, turn the Kong upside down and fill with chicken broth (for best results give outside

in the garden!). Here are a couple of good sites for Kong recipes and suggestions:http://dogs.thefuntimesguide.com/2006/02/dog_recipes_for_kong_chew_toys.phphttp://westwoodanimalhospital.com/BhvArticles/kong_stuffing.htm

Vito, “Canis sapiens”

A Labrador named Vito was recently applauded at the University of Milan’s research laboratory “Canis sapiens” as the smartest dog of the day – he didn’t fail a single test and resolved in record time a puzzle that required him to press on a yellow pedal to open a blue box hiding a food treat.Vito was one of the participants in an ongoing experiment led by a team of researchers, biologists and psychologists studying different aspects of dogs’ social cognition and communication with man. In the experiment a series of tests look at how dogs communicate by looking at us. They also look at to what extent dogs are influenced by people when making choices. So far 450 pet dogs and owners have taken part in the experiment and more volunteers are needed (to sign up go to www.compor-tamentoanimale.it/). Emauela Prato-Previde, professor of Psychology at the University of Milan Medical School, explains that the study hopes to prove that mental capabilities are “the result of evolution and that the mind has an adaptive and cognitive function”. So far breeds historically selected for work in cooperation with man (retrievers and herding dogs) have been found to look earlier and for a longer period at their owners, compared with guarding and primitive breeds (huskies, malamutes and basenji).

The study has also found that dogs used to taking part in activities with their owners like agility or search & rescue are more enterprising and resolve problems more quickly. Pet dogs not used to these activities tend to ask for more help from their

owners and give up sooner.

Origin wins again

The Glycemic Research Institute, USA, has awarded Origin “Pet Food of the Year” for the third year in a row, in a comparison of all dog and cat foods sold in the UK, USA and Canada. According to the Institute, “Origen best exemplifies a food that is based on the evolutionary and biological needs of the canine”. To select the winner the Institute made an in-depth analysis of ingredients as well as the biochemical needs of cats and dogs.Compared to the majority of pet foods on the market, Origin is grain free and contains 80% meat. More information about the award can be found atwww.gripetfoods.com/.

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